A look back at sports
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Sports pictures of the year
From a nail-biting pass at Superbowl XLIII to a bloody WBO World Welterwight fight, here's a look at the best sports photos of 2009. Slideshow
Brawl mars Yankees-Rays training game
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Reuters) - The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays engaged in a benches-clearing brawl in an exhibition game on Wednesday.
Trouble had been brewing between the teams since Saturday when the Rays' Elliot Johnson crashed into Francisco Cervelli at the plate, leaving the Yankees catcher with a broken wrist.
On Wednesday, Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips was ejected in the first inning after grazing highly regarded prospect Evan Longoria with a pitch.
In the second, Shelley Duncan of the Yankees slid with his spikes high into Rays' Akinori Iwamura, cutting the Japanese player's knee.
Players from both dugouts and bullpens charged onto the field. Tampa outfielder Jonny Gomes raced from right field and knocked into Duncan from behind.
Duncan was ejected along with Gomes and Yankees coaches Bobby Meacham and Kevin Long.
"There was nothing dirty about it in my eyes," Duncan told reporters.
The Rays won the game 7-6. The teams meet again on Saturday.
(Reporting by Robert Green; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
